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The Illinois abortion bills HB2467 and HB2495 which would have enshrined abortion in Illinois were not called in the Human Services Commi...

January 7, 2019

Taxpayer-funded fetal tissue researchers want their names kept secret

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) who are using public tax dollars to purchase aborted baby parts are embroiled in a court battle to keep their identities secret. The case, Jane Does 1-10, et al v. David Daleiden, pits the university employees and abortion facility personnel against David Daleiden, the investigative journalist with The Center for Medical Progress, best known for undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s alleged involvement in the trafficking of aborted baby body parts. Daleiden is trying to exercise his rights to see the public documents relating to the purchase and use of these body parts.

The UW researchers are public employees using taxpayer funds for their fetal tissue research program, but they do not want to be identified, claiming that the First Amendment gives them the right to remain anonymous. Their fight to keep their identities secret is puzzling, given that many abortion advocates believe in the necessity of fetal stem cell research, despite research showing otherwise. It raises the question of whether these researchers are ashamed of their work, or perhaps fearful that if their names are made public, it could be detrimental to their careers.